


The Twelve Labors of Phoenix

by Raze Flyn (tlanon)



Series: convergence [3]
Category: X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Death, Violence, mention of several plot lines I hated, time traveller attempting to fix things that went wrong in her time line
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-29
Updated: 2012-02-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:02:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25445815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tlanon/pseuds/Raze%20Flyn
Summary: Rachel Summer's alternate future self attempts to use her to prevent the horrible future she came from.
Series: convergence [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1843024





	The Twelve Labors of Phoenix

**Author's Note:**

> First comments are disabled due to mental health concerns.
> 
> I do not edit these fics this is simply archiving so all original mistakes are preserved Be Warned.
> 
> This fic has been backdated as close to its original publication date as I can get.

The Twelve Labors of Phoenix

She opened her eyes to see that she was in what looked like a hospital tent. “Good your awake,” Sam said with forced cheerfulness. “You need to come with me now.” She got up and he reached over stabilizing her. She could feel his agitation. “I’m sorry to drag you out of bed but she won’t talk with out you and things are getting tense.”

“The girl,” she asked and then instantly could tell it wasn’t. “I didn’t manage to save her did I?” His face was all the answer she needed. “If I failed to save her who are you taking me to see?” She wanted to be alone to deal with failing that girl.

“Six teams of X-men were dragged here by her death,” Sam said grimly. “Two from alternate past, two from alternate present and two from alternate futures.” He looked extremely uncomfortable. “A member from one of the alternate teams slipped away and attacked the Avengers killing three of them and injuring several others.” He still seemed hesitant about something. “Your on that team and helped one of the Avengers kill the one who attacked them.” He looked down, “She said her team would only explain things if you were present, something about wanting to see if you were connected to her or one of the other Rachels.”

She felt a chill as she thought about the fact she’d never met an alternate counterpart and wondered if this Rachel was like her alone. Sam didn’t say anything else and she wondered what he thought about all this. She had so much more experience with alternate worlds than he did. She wasn’t even native to this world not really. She nearly passed out when she saw her older self, “Your me but I’ve never me another before.” She found herself saying in shock. She wasn’t sure how she knew but she knew.

“That is because I’m from an alternate branch of this time line.” Her older self said with slight smile. “Belonging equally to two worlds makes us unique amongst the cosmos most Rachel’s do not which is why they don’t seem to be alternate versions of us.” She felt so relieved to know there were other Rachel’s out there connected to her it made her feel more normal.

“Enough of this,” An impatient voice said angrily. “You will tell me why your team mate killed my sister.” She looked around and saw Quicksilver staring at her older self with murder in his eyes. She didn’t even have to touch his mind to sense the anger boiling off of him. She saw that Val Cooper, Captain America and Hawkeye were in the room with them. She saw that Bishop, Sage and Sam were keeping their distance.

“Storm is dealing with something much more important than this debriefing,” Her older counterpart said before she could ask. “Please Pietro all will be made clear soon enough.” She said raising a hand at the impatient mutant. “You should get that Val,” She said as Val Cooper’s phone rang.

She watched Val answer the phone and exchange a few curt words with the caller. “It appears your father’s information was accurate Agatha Harkness has been dead for some time in her home.” She saw her future self frown.

“I knew the sketches of facts Cyclops gave you would pan out so now I can explain in detail which he’ll never do because he still believes we can get back home.” She seemed lost in thought for a moment. “No matter how many possible futures I look at we never get home all six teams of X-men spend the rest of their lives in this world.”

“You can see the future,” She found herself asking a bit surprised. She looked around and the others seemed equally shocked by that statement. She was about to ask for further details when Quicksilver slammed his hands down on the table.

“Tell me why my sister was killed,” She could sense how close he was to losing control and hoped the older version of her could feel it as well. This situation was tense and strange enough without Quicksilver exploding into violence.

“Your sister has been slowly losing her mind ever since she lost her children,” Her older self said darkly. “In the future my team comes from she eventually snapped and nearly wiped the Avengers out.” She saw everyone exchanging surprised looks. “Afterwards she was turned over to Professor Xavier for help and he failed to help her so he turned to the Avengers to decide what to do.” The older Rachel then fixed Quicksilver with a glare. “You feared they would kill her so you convinced her to rewrite reality so mutants were the dominant force on the planet.”

“That is impossible Wanda doesn’t have that kind of power,” Quicksilver said quickly. “She couldn’t remake the world anymore than I can.” She noticed he didn’t deny that he would do that if she could and he thought she was in danger.

“Oh but she could,” her older self said simply. “Wanda’s power has been growing steadily her mutant ability to affect probability paired with the ability to tap the most dangerous and unpredictable of magics resulted in her being able to reshape reality easily.” The older Rachel then laughed bitterly. “Of course like always the reality warp was undone and the world returned almost to normal except Wanda decided to de-power 95 percent of all mutants resulting us going from a minority of a few million to an infinitesimal amount of a few hundred.”

She heard Bishop suck in a breath and stare at the older Rachel in shock who gave him a knowing look. “Yes Bishop the great disappearance of mutants from your time line’s past was caused by the Scarlet Witch.” Her look then turned dark. “Of course after that you stopped focusing on the X-men so much and started preparing for the birth of the baby you swore to kill to prevent the six second war.” She saw several folks had turned horrified stares on Bishop but he just stared back at her older self with a hard expression. “You fail by the way in both my future and in the future from the other team though you screw up more in mine.” Her older self smiled grimly. “You actually made the six second war worse.”

“Tell me who killed my sister,” Quicksilver said angrily distracting them from Bishop. She instantly saw in his head what he wanted to do. She stared at him in horror and when he saw her he actually tried to attack her. She was shocked when he stopped frozen.

“That’s enough Pietro killing the past version of the person who killed your sister won’t bring her back time travel doesn’t work that way as you all should well know.” Her older self said releasing him and he fell to the ground. “It also would be cruel because the woman who became Equinox is an innocent.”

After that Pietro was escorted out of the room by Captain America and she felt her future self lightly touching his mind with a command to go sleep. She glanced around realizing no one else had noticed her future self’s action. She was still debating mentioning it or not when Val Cooper’s phone rang again. She wasn’t really focused on the conversation until Val hung up and turned angrily on her older counterpart. “That was Nick Fury he is insisting that I, The X.S.E and The Avengers meet up with him immediately to act on information you gave him.”

“How have you managed to avoid our scanners detecting your use of Telepathy,” Sage said speaking up. “I have been monitoring you this entire time and should have registered your telepathic usage.”

“I’ve been avoiding sensors far more advanced than yours Sage for years,” Her older counterpart said. “I’m sorry for going behind your back but I need Shield ready to act if I’m going to repair the damage Equinox did.”

“What do you mean?” She found herself asking. The others were looking around all just as confused as she was. She watched her older self close her eyes in an obvious attempt to gather her thoughts.

“Ever since Equinox attacked the Avengers every possible future for this world has turned out worse than the world I come from.” Her older counterpart said after a moment. “However, there are twelve things I can do that can swing things back to normal an even mix of good futures and bad.” Her older self smiled sadly. “My son is going to be stuck in this world from now on so giving him a fifty fifty shot at having a good future is worth dying for to me.”

“Dying for?” Captain America said speaking up for the first time. “Your planning to die doing these twelve things?” She could feel everyone in the room was tense waiting for her older counterpart’s answer.

“Yes,” she said. “Ten years ago I was infected with a nanotech weapon the Sentinels were experimenting with that accelerated aging.” She looked down. “I managed to survive by using my power to hold it in check and keep it from working but doing so cost me most of my power over the last ten years I’ve gotten close to what I once could do but using my full power will allow it to work.” She then smiled faintly. “So even if I survive doing what I have to do I’ll be as old as I was when I was Mother Askani by the end of it.”

“There has to be another way,” She found herself saying. She could instantly sense that Val wasn’t even going to allow her future self to try. She then everyone stop as her older self froze everyone present except for her. “What are you doing?”

“I just need your help for the first task and then I need a witness.” She felt her powers taken out of her control and then her mind was spreading over the globe and she saw them hundreds of skrulls in hiding all over the planet preparing for an invasion. “Let them be seen.” Her older self said and the Skrulls lost their ability to hide returning to their true form in front of witnesses. She then saw them swept up pulled into the air surrounded by fire and sent into space. She watched as they were hurled deep into space through a stargate to a planet she knew somehow was uninhabited.

She found herself in astral form watching her body collapse as those in the room unfroze. “What have you done to Rachel,” Bishop asked as Sam and Sage both knelt by her body. She watched sage check her pulse.

“She will be alright she’s just here with me in Astral form as a witness,” Her older self said. “I just ended the secret invasion so Val should prepare to use the just exposed skrull invasion in her explanation for what Nick Fury needs your help with.” Then before anyone could respond she was dragged along as her older self took off flying passing harmlessly through the temporary building’s roof as if it was water.

She had no idea where they were going as the scenery flew past. “Where are you taking me?” She asked her older self. “And why did you use me like that?” She glanced around amazed that her astral form couldn’t perceive the world around them which meant they were flying incredibly fast.

“Removing the Skrulls was the most difficult of the twelve things I must do it required my full power,” Her older self said shaking her head. “Grabbing alien minds like that and lassoing a star gate from out of system would have killed me if I hadn’t used you to keep the nano tech in check.” She then smiled bitterly. “Even with your power holding it in check I still got a few gray hairs out of the deal.”

“You do look older,” She said once she focused her psychic perception on her older counterpart. “You still haven’t told me where we are going?” She then saw they were outside what looked like a medical research facility.

Her older self strode through the wall moving the molecules like water to easily enter a lab. An Indian woman was there with a small girl running some tests. “Who are you?” The woman demanded but her older self just waved an a vial flew across the room and injected the young girl. “Stop we haven’t finished testing it yet.”

“You don’t have to worry your cure for mutation works but she will be the only one cured,” Her older self said as the other vials and equipment in the room exploded. The bracelet on the woman’s arm also crumbled to dust. “Now come Dr. Rao I want you to see the source of your cure for mutants.”

This woman had created a cure for mutants and was now being dragged along with them down into a hidden part of the facility. A green alien attempted to jump out attack them but he was instantly frozen and also dragged along with them. “Ord supplied you with what you needed for the cure by experimenting on this prisoner.” Her older self said a room ripped open to reveal Colossus.

“Colossus is alive?” She yelled astonished. Her older self enveloped him in flame even as he turned to stare at her in shock and then they were gone from the building stopping only long enough to drop the doctor off.

“The second task is done the destruction of the mutant cure, saving Piotr and capturing Ord now we can perform the third.” As they landed on the mansion lawn she saw her father, Emma, wolverine and Kitty approaching.

“Piotr,” Kitty said clearly in shock and then running toward him as the fire released him. She felt a stab of jealousy at Kitty being so glad he was alive but knew it was irrational. She saw the X-men closing in warily.

“We need to talk,” Her older self said pointing at Emma. She wondered what possible task could involve Emma Frost. A small bitter part of her wanted it to be revealing she was mind controlling her dad or something else to explain things.

“I’m right here darling,” Emma said sarcastically. She could sense Emma’s fear just below the surface masked with the ice queen persona. She couldn’t help but smile as fire shot form her older self and enveloped Emma.

“Not you Emma the thing manipulating you,” Her older self said and Emma dropped out of the fire leaving a bald woman screaming. “This fragment of Cassandra Nova has been there ever since you tricked her into stuff feeding on your survivors guilt manipulating you to some day free her real self.” The bald woman screamed and exploded. “That’s why you were asked to be on her team of X-men Kitty the part of Emma fighting her wanted you to kill her before she made her hurt any one she cared about.”

The X-men were still staring back and fourth from the collapsed Emma to where Cassandra Nova was. “Now that the third task is accomplished I can perform the fourth.” She pointed at the mansion and there was a crashing sound as machinery flew out and reshaped itself into the figure of a woman. “I’m sorry Danger I’d love to give you the time to evolve into a force for good naturally as you do in so many other time lines but I cannot wait this time.”

She reached forward and the machine screamed. “What are you doing?” Beast asked clearly disturbed even though she could sense he had no idea what was going on. Her older self let the metal woman collapse.

“Danger will explain it all when she awakens I simply force fed her everything that happened in my world and leave her to make her own decision about things.” Her older self said and suddenly they and Ord were sailing through the air again. “Now for the fifth.” A blast of psychic fire flew form her hand and her senses followed it as it smashed into the super villain Nitro and killed him.

“You killed him,” She said in shock. “This isn’t like that psychic parasite in Emma this was a living breathing person and you killed him.” She knew enough to know he was a monster but it still surprised her.

“His death may prevent the Civil war but I cannot be sure but even the chance was worth it,” Her older self said. “As much as I’d like to take the time to permanently solve every problem I remember I lack the power and foresight so I will simply do the best I can.”

She stayed quiet after that until they approached what looked like a flying oil tanker. “Is that a flying ship?” She asked her older self who just nodded. “Are you going to destroy it for the sixth task?”

“No, I’m not I won’t wipe out an entire race of people no matter how war like they are,” Her older self said. “That ship contains a divergent off shoot of humanity called the Children fo the Vault a few months from now they come into conflict with the X-men but I think instead I’ll take them into space and dump them on a uninhabited planet.” Even as she spoke psychic fire surrounded the ship and it followed them up out of the atmosphere into space. She saw the Star gate her older self grabbed earlier was still anchored inside their solar system She watched as the ship was launched into it and disappeared. “There now we are halfway done.”

She looked at her older self who was now fully grey haired and beginning to wrinkle. “Will you even make it you are aging very fast?” She wasn’t sure she agreed with her other self’s actions but if she was telling the truth about the future then she needed to finish all twelve.

“I’ll make it,” Her older self laughed. “I have enough strength to finish the next seven tasks.” She wondered if her older self was getting confused because there should only be six tasks left. “Now for Krakoa.” Her older self and the silent prisoner behind them landed on the ruins of what was once the living island. “Awaken Vulcan,” She said a man rose up out of the material of the world and was soon wrapped in fire. “Now come out Darwin.” A bald strange looking man appeared out of the other one. “Now to Earth with you Darwin reveal Xavier’s lie but tell them not to search for Gabriel Summers his destiny lies on a different world.” She was staring at the dark haired man if he was a Summers than that meant he was related to her.

“How is he related to us?” She asked her older self once the bald man had been sent hurtling toward Earth and her older self and the other two were flying into space. She looked closely at his features and could see the resemblance to her father.

“He’s one of our fathers brothers,” Her older self said sadly. “He was taken from our grand mothers womb and aged by the Shiar to make him a better slave.” She smiled after a moment, “There is the next target.” She saw a Shiar Warship and was shocked when it exploded. “That ship was on it’s way to Earth to attempt to kill the Phoenix force their actions would force Mom to come back and die again.”

After that things got quiet as they soared through space. She found herself staring at her Uncle and wondering what he was like and why her future self wasn’t taking him to Earth. “That’s the Starjammer,” she said in surprise when she saw the ship appearing in front of them.

“Yes it is,” Her older self said and then they were aboard startling the Starjammers. “Hello Grandfather sorry to drop in like this but I’m delivering your third son.” Her older self gestured and the man she referred to as Vulcan and Grabriel Summers drifted in front of her and her older self put her hands on his temples. He let out a scream as he opened his eyes and fell to the floor.

“Something is wrong my powers,” he said and then looked around. “What happened where’s Darwin, and the others.” Her older self just leaned down and touched him. “So Krakoa destroyed my powers and Xavier erased me from my brother’s mind.” He sounded so angry. “

“Yes, I’m your niece from another world I saved you and brought you here to your father he can help you adjust.” She then turned toward Corsair. “Your wife was pregnant when she was captured and the Shiar had the embryo removed and aged up to make him a better slave.” Then they were gone leaving a shell shocked Corsair and the Starjammers behind.

“You lied to them,” She found herself accusing her older self as they flew toward Shiar space still dragging that poor alien with them. “You burned out the parts of his brain that controlled his powers while you were reviving him.”

“Yes, I did,” Her older self said darkly. “In my world Vulcan because of his experiences became a monster who killed Corsair and nearly killed everyone else so I thought making him helpless and lying about it was for the best.” Her older self then grimaced. “I ask you to stay silent during this next ordeal because it will be very hard and I need all my focus.” She looked back at the Alien. “I’ll be leaving Ord here in stasis until I’m done his presence would just confuse our audience.”

She watched keeping silent as she’d been asked as her older self arrived on the Shiar throne world and interrupted the royal court pointing at Minister Araki. “Hello Araki I am fire and soul life incarnate I am the phoenix and I am here to judge you for your crimes.” She watched as the Shiar stared at the Prime Minister in fear and everyone backed away. “Korvus come fourth.” She yelled and a shiar man emerged carrying a sword. Her older self waved her hand and smiled. “The bomb inside you is disabled tell us what Araki ordered done to your family.”

She listened silently as the Shiar man revealed how his family was destroyed because one of his ancestors once wielded the phoenix once his story was over with her older self pointed at Araki again. “You were planning to do the same to the Grey family but know this if a single Grey or any other family member touched by the Phoenix dies at Shiar hands because of your fear of what I am then all of the Shiar worlds will burn and it will be your fault Araki.” She then turned toward Korvus and blue fire flew from his sword into her hand. “I take back what was left here to free you from your burden Korvus you are free.”

As they left the planet rejoining the body of Ord in Stasis she couldn’t stay quiet anymore. “Why didn’t you just kill him?” She had been thinking the entire time about the implication that her mother’s family would be wiped out.

“Because he’d just be cloned again and that Araki is terrified of the phoenix so the idea that I’m watching him will do far more good than killing him.” She then looked tired. “Plus while I had the Imperial Guard paralyzed telepathically I couldn’t hold them forever and I needed to pull my phoenix act and get out while I could.” She then smiled. “Four task left and then we are done.”

“Shouldn’t it be three or even two?” She had no way of knowing how her older self was breaking these tasks up. Her older self said nothing and then they were warping through space again. She was amazed at the power her older self was displaying and a little afraid that she might have this kind of power some day.

They were approaching a planet that suddenly shot a giant bullet at them. “Enough of that,” Her older self said and the bullet exploded and then Ord was sent flying toward the planet followed by a wave of fire. She watched as the planet burned. “I’m not killing them I’m just making them all experience a vision that will forever cement the idea in their head that if they attack Earth again they will be destroyed by a rain of fire.” Her older self was really beginning to look bad she had already passed the Mother Askani look and seemed to be getting even older. “Three more tasks.” She said and they were flying through space again.

She wanted to ask questions about what the silly giant bullet had been but watching her older self aging before her very eyes caused her to stop she didn’t want to distract her. She saw them pass a skrull ship which suddenly cracked open releasing the replace heros who were dragged along in their wake. “Now the Twelfth tasks.” Her older self said as they returned to Earth and saw a battle going on around what looked like a prison camp. “Awaken heroes save the innocent.” The heroes following them in stasis opened their eyes and were flung toward the ground. Her older self also blasted fire down toward the camp destroying it’s guards and all the weapons firing form there. She stared down as the battle ended and then her older self screamed. The fire that surrounded her turned blue and she rocketed back into space stopping just outside the sun.

“Are you done?” She asked staring at the ancient and lined face. She wondered how old the other Rachel had gotten and marveled that she was still alive. “We can go back the camp now and you can see your son.”

“I cannot go back to Earth or I will doom it.” Her older self said sadly. “You must have wondered why I didn’t save my own world with the kind of power I’ve shown here.” She hadn’t but once it was mentioned she couldn’t help but wonder. “The truth is this wasn’t just my power unlike me you were still connected to the phoenix.” Her older self bowed her head. “I used that sliver of a connection to draw on the phoenix for these tasks and in doing so I have robbed you off it as the sliver shattered as I performed the last task. All that remains with me is the shadow of the phoenix I took from Korvus.”

She stared at her older self in shock she had still been connected to the phoenix and now she wasn’t and what was its shadow her older self mentioned. “I still had great power and could have given my life to save my world but then all mutants would die the nano tech within me will spread once I die that is why I had to stay alive to contain it.” She felt sick as she realized what the older woman intended. “Now I will hurl my body into the sun destroying the nanotech forever I’m sorry to have used you and cost you the last connection you had to our mother but I leave you with the shadow of the phoenix as a parting gift.”

She tried to speak but before she could her older self flung her body backwards into the sun. She watched her bun and then a fiery blue raptor swept her up and dragged her back to her body. She opened her eyes laying back in the bed she’d first woke up in. “It’s over.” She said as she set up to see Sage sitting near bye. “What was that battle I saw from space?”

“The liberation of a mutant concentration camp,” Sage said looking at the data. “We will be very busy dealing with the fall out form this.” She looked grim. “I’ll also need you to fill me in on everything that happened with the other Rachel and her final fate for my reports.”

“I will Sage but not right now I need time to think.” She laid back down and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure how she felt after seeing the things her older self had done. She still didn’t understand why some of the decisions had been made and she needed time to decide how much she was going to tell.

The End


End file.
